Eusebius, who has been uncharacteristically quiet since entering the shrine, nods to himself at Boog's words.

"A good question. You understand that until Vanth is healed, we must continue to guard against his turning as well as the adversary you send us to defeat? At least until the waning of the moon."

"It is for Vanth and Rowan to decide if they will accept your offer. For myself, I am pledged to help them, and I will do so."

"But please tell us, if you will - who are you? You speak to us in our minds - a mode of communication out of the ordinary (though less so, I find, than I once thought) - and yet you do, indeed, hold converse with us. This is not like the vision my god granted me when he called me to his priesthood but like speech shared with one's peers. And yet it is clear that you are beings of great power - so it would be a graciousness to share with us something of yourselves."

(As usual, when the floodgates of speech are opened, it is no small trickle that pours forth.)

Rowan shakes his head & mutters about having given away his axe. "Aye. I have no love for the lycanthropes who infect others. Already they have taken my father and now threaten my brother. I will go and kill this beast."

Continuing on in your travel through the mountains, you head for the village of Steadwell. As you finish climbing the final rise before the village, you look down at a small valley filled with farms. The village itself is tucked away in the north end of the valley, and consists of about a score of homes.